Heitinga a Liability

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Guilty of a comical gaffe in the midweek game against West Brom, John Heitinga was once again the main culprit in defence, at fault for all three of Aston Villa's goals.

He was first exposed one-on-one against Christian Benteke in just the second minute of the match. The ease in which the Belgian striker strode past him to score was, quite frankly, embarrassing and didn't augur well for future exchanges.

Thirty minutes later he was partially to blame for Villa's second strike, offering little resistance in front of Gabby Agbonlahor, although Marouane Fellaini was perhaps equally culpable too.

For Villa's third, Heitinga was once again left with Benteke as a deep cross was glanced in by the Belgian forward with the Dutchman left hapless again.

He was hauled off the pitch soon after this third error, but the decision to start him against such a powerful front man—a scenario he's struggled with before—must surely go down as a major mistake from David Moyes.

Heitinga suffered throughout the contest against Benteke and was brushed off with consummate ease on a number of occasions.

Many fans felt he was lucky to keep his place after his blip against West Brom, especially with this season's best centre-back—Phil Jagielka—continuing out of position at right-back.

This latest contribution has surely ruled him out of the lineup for the Toffees' next game at Old Trafford.

Agbonlahor and Villa with Typical Returns

Every side has certain players and teams that consistently prosper against them, regardless of form.

For Everton, Aston Villa and Gabby Agbonlahor are exactly that, and both combined to hurt the Toffees despite their awful run of form.

Although Christian Benteke will rightly get the plaudits for his efforts up front, Agbonlahor's strike was perhaps Villa's most vital.

With the game levelled at 1-1 there was huge momentum shifting Everton's way, a surge that could have easily seen Villa crumble to a heavy defeat.

The fact he scored just three minutes after Anichebe's riposte deflated Goodison Park and ensured his side had something to hold onto after halftime.

Agbonlahor scored his first ever goal against the Toffees and today's strike was his seventh in all. Despite a 3-0 win at Villa Park this season, Everton have now won just one league game in 14 against today's opponents.

Their last home win in the Premier League was a 4-1 victory back in 2006—a game in which Agbonlahor scored on his debut.

Fellaini and Anichebe Hit Career Bests

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Both Everton scorers hit career landmarks in this contest and have been large success stories for the Toffees over the course of the season.

Anichebe struck his sixth goal of the campaign, his highest seasonal tally for Everton, while Fellaini's brace gave him 11 so far. That surpassed the nine he struck in his inaugural campaign with the Toffees back in 2008/09.

Both of them are two of their side's most attack-minded players, and their success in front of goal has helped mask and compensate for some of the continuing struggles of Nikica Jelavic.

In a season where Everton's main front-man has been misfiring, the contributions of Anichebe and Fellaini have been crucial and must continue for the Toffees to keep pace in the race for fourth.